Jack Skinner

Jack Skinner

Currently living in Waltham, Massachusetts, I was born and raised in Watertown, Massachusetts. I graduated from Watertown High School in 1968, and I was accepted by Boston University School of Fine Arts and also Northeastern University by the College of Criminal Justice. Not wanting to become a "starving artist", I opted for studies in Law Enforcement. I kept art as a hobby.
I have been a police officer since 1972 for the Concord, Massachusetts Police Department. I am also a Police Composite Sketch Artist. Officially, I have been a police sketch artist since 1996. As a police sketch artist, aside from having a little ability in art one must possess good interviewing skills. It's the job of the artist to produce on paper a likeness of a "Bad Guy" from the memory of a witness or victim.This "likeness", unfortunately will never be a portrait, but more of a caricature, were the investigating officers can use it to identify suspects or eliminate potential suspects. I work with pencils and a BIG eraser.
As a Sketch Artist , I was taught by Rick and Carrie Parks of the Parks Institute for Forensic Art. They travel the country teaching police officers how to draw. I still attend their classes every several years for recertification as a Sketch Artist. I also attended the FBI Academy course on Facial Imaging in February, 2000.
After being placed in the middle of society's "little problems" on a daily basis, it is nice to come home and escape to my art for some relaxation. I mainly work with acrylics, since my last oil painting sat in the corner for 4 years gathering dust while it "dried". In 2009, I also began painting with pastels. I became a student of Jeanne Smith and still take much needed lessons in pastel. I am a member of the Concord Art Association and a juried artist member in the Cape Cod Art Association.